The Fjällräven Field Grant is a field-research award run by The Explorers Club together with the Swedish outdoor gear and clothing company Fjällräven. The Club is a multidisciplinary society based in New York that describes itself as dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation, and the two partners set the grant up to promote excellence in field exploration through scientific research. It pays US$5,000 to a graduate or post-graduate student, or an early-career scientist, carrying out fieldwork in the natural sciences.
The round now open funds the 2027 field season. The applicant picks the field site and leads the project, and the money covers the direct costs of getting there and working there. The Club states that it cannot consider proposals for work being conducted in China or by Chinese citizens.
Benefits & funding
- US$5,000 per award.
- The budget covers direct field costs: lodging and meals, transport, field supplies and equipment, assistants, telecommunications and shipping.
- Explorers Club grants do not pay for visas, immunisations, tuition, salaries for students or faculty, or the administrative overhead of institutions.
- Any unused portion of the award returns to The Explorers Club.
- Project reports may be published in The Explorers Journal or on the Club website.
Eligibility
- Graduate students, post-graduate students and early-career scientists.
- The project has to be fieldwork in the natural sciences. The Club defines field science as expeditions that collect data bound for peer-reviewed publication, so travel and adventure projects do not qualify.
- Explorers Club membership is not required to apply.
- The Club states that it cannot consider proposals for work being conducted in China or by Chinese citizens. No other nationality or residency condition is attached.
- No age limit and no minimum years of experience are stated.
- Two letters of support are required.
- Permits for the fieldwork must be secured before the work begins.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
Master Enrolled · Master · PhD Enrolled · PhD
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Application process
- 1Check the fit: natural-science fieldwork for the 2027 season, led by the applicant, and not work in China or by a Chinese citizen.
- 2Prepare the substance of the application — project summary and description, education outreach plans, permit status, project supervision and an itemised budget.
- 3Arrange two letters of support. Letters upload through the online form, and a recommender who needs confidentiality can email the letter to grants@explorers.org.
- 4Fill in the application form on the program page. It also asks for contact and personal details, employer and primary institution, prior awards, how the applicant heard about the program, any Club affiliation, and the primary country of research.
- 5Submit before 6 September 2026, 6:00 PM US Eastern.
- 6Awards are announced in March under the Club’s general grant timeline.
- 7Recipients secure permits before fieldwork, then file a written report and a statement of expenses within six months of finishing, returning any unused funds.
Program timeline
Application deadline, 6:00 PM US Eastern
Sep 6, 2026
Awards announced, under the Club’s general grant timeline
2027-03
The field season this round funds
2027
Within six months of the end of fieldwork
written report and statement of expenses due